The Elder Scrolls Online Reviews
Freedom of choice combined with a wealth of content makes for a game that can be a little intimidating to tackle, but the lack of commitment or direction frees you up to explore it at your own pace. ESO can be a very relaxing game to play, and that’s why I continue to return to it after nearly eight years of playing.
What appeals to individual gamers is, of course, subjective but I’ve long felt that Elder Scrolls Online is the best MMORPG on consoles thanks to its world-building, lore, quests, story, and ability to reward both solo and group experiences equally. The recent introduction of companions made a solo-friendly game even more inviting. With the Enhanced Version, Elder Scrolls Online definitely steps up as the best looking and smoothest running MMORPG you can find on the PS5, and no longer feels in any way inferior to the PC version.
As always, ZeniMax has provided quality work that never ceases to amaze. If you are thinking about getting into ESO, I would highly recommend it. No matter the platform, ESO works well and continues to bring wonderful stories to fans of all types.
Murkmire feels a bit more reserved than Summerset, but as a DLC that's expected -- and that doesn't mean this isn't well worth your time.
Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset is an exciting new chapter for the MMO. It offers an engaging narrative that kept this progression driven gamer distracted which is saying a lot. Although the expansion didn't offer a new class we were introduced to a pretty fun new skill tree and despite the grind to unlock it, it offers some great new approaches to combat. With a beautiful new zone, intriguing story and only a few minor grievances, I highly recommend picking up Summerset.
An easy recommendation for any console-based RPG fan. Better with friends. The game introduces console players to the vast world of MMOs in an easy to grasp and approachable fashion with a ton to see and explore.
The Elder Scrolls Online isn't a terrible game, but its shortcomings make it impossible to recommend, especially considering the diverse options gamers have in the MMO marketplace. It's possible that future updates will make the game worth revisiting, but quite a bit of the core gameplay would need to change for that to be the case.
Whether or not The Elder Scrolls Online is for you depends on what you are looking for. It is not a conversion of the single player series that many might have hoped for. You can finally trot around Tamriel with your friends, slaying goblins and daedra, but the experience is hindered by uninspiring combat mechanics and far more restrictive exploration options resulting in a less immersive world.
The Elder Scrolls Online is a solid massively multiplayer online experience. There is a variety of content both in the adventure and player-versus-player modes. A lack of risk-taking in the genre formula, however, holds the game back from being innovative or unique. Fortunately, the Elder Scrolls setting and lore are presented perfectly in addition to including one of the best player-versus-player systems in an MMO. Fans of the Elder Scrolls series who can overlook a monthly subscription fee are sure to find plenty to enjoy on their online adventures in Tamriel.
With better MMORPGs already out there and seemingly more great ones coming, The Elder Scrolls Online is using the name to appeal to its large fan base, and I have no doubt some will enjoy, but for the rest, this game is an vacillating anomaly in a packed market.
All in all, The Elder Scrolls Online is a pretty good game. It's not outstanding, and it's not terrible. Once it's less new and the developer has had time to polish and clean it up a bit, it may be a good game, but I think there was so much effort put into making it feel like an Elder Scrolls title and so much effort was placed in checking off every bullet point on the MMO checklist that they forgot to make the game stand out from the crowd. And when you've paid $60 plus a monthly subscription fee for a game, it should.
Personally as an MMO player, I think I'm mostly going to be putting my time in the near future into Final Fantasy XIV and WildStar until that happens.
All in all, The Elder Scrolls Online is a great game, with one of the most successful MMO launches I have come across, despite some of the well-documented teething problems. As it stands, I can only see improvement here and Bethesda Softworks seem dedicated to making that happen.
So here we are at the end of a very long review for a very big game, and the question of whether or not The Elder Scrolls Online has captured the magic of its single single contemporaries still remains to be answered. I think the framework is there, but there are some painful missteps that are holding it back. MMOs are a constantly evolving ecospace, so it's possible we'll get there, but for now I'll cautiously say…maybe.
From story to scale, The Elder Scrolls Online does its single player predecessors justice while at some parts struggling to find its own identity.
The core of the Elder Scrolls experience lives on in The Elder Scrolls Online, and fans of series will love discovering never before seen corners of Tamriel, or revisiting favorite locales in a new way. However these experiences are muddled by balance issues, unclear design choices, and technical blips. This MMO is not for everyone, but those who are ready for a deep, consuming experience may find it here if they choose to look past the flaws.
ESO is an excellent MMORPG, with a lot to offer fans of The Elder Scrolls.
So another lukewarm MMO, then. But occasionally heated up a bit by the rare confluence of scenery, music (the majority of which is excellent) and raw atmosphere that can transport you for a fleeting moment to the Tamriel we've grown to know and love.
Playing The Elder Scrolls with your friends may sound like fun, but after playing a bit, you might just end up wishing for the sweet release of Oblivion.
The Elder Scrolls Online is a brave attempt at combining two seemingly polar opposites, but it ultimately fails to build a continuously compelling world, compromising too much on either side. It's an MMO that can't hold a candle to likes of Guild Wars 2 and The Secret World, and an Elder Scrolls game that can't hope to be as deep and rich in content and solo experience as Morrowind and Skyrim. The allure of an online Tamriel is strong, and when the game's disparate parts align, it really is a bit special, but those moments are too few and far between to recommend for a game with this much of an inflated price point.